Downing Street | DigiLondon Totteridge and Whetstone tube station Totteridge and Whetstone tube station is a London Underground station in north London. The station is the penultimate one on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line, between Woodside Park and High Barnet stations, and in Travelcard Zone 4. It is on the northern side of Totteridge Lane (A5109), somewhat to the east of the Dollis Brook (the traditional boundary between Totteridge and Whetstone) hence is in Whetstone. Totteridge and Whetstone station was planned by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (EH&LR) and was originally opened as Whetstone and Totteridge in 1872 by the read more Downing Street Category: Government Downing Street is the street in Westminster, London, which has been the official residence for 200 years of two of the most senior British Cabinet Ministers, the First Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Prime Minister, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Downing Street is located in Whitehall in central London, a few minutes’ walk from the Houses of Parliament and on the edge of Horse Guards Parade and St. James’s Park. The most famous address in Downing Street is 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury – and thus, in modern times, the residence of the Prime Minister, since the two roles have been filled by the same person. As a result of this, “Downing Street” or “Number 10” is often used as a metonym for the Prime Ministers or their office, whilst “Number 11” is likewise a term for the Chancellors of the Exchequer or their office. The street was built by and named after Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1632–1689). Downing was a soldier and diplomat who served under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II. In the service of the King he was rewarded with the plot of land adjoining St. James’s Park upon which Downing Street now stands. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Chief Whip all officially live in houses on one side of the street.

According to the Downing Street official website, the last private resident in the street was a Mr Chicken, about whom very little is known except that he left Downing Street some time in the 1730s. The houses on the other side were all replaced by the massive Foreign Office in the nineteenth century. In the 1950s and 1960s, plans were considered to demolish both the Foreign Office and the rest of Downing Street and build “something more modern”. However the plans were never implemented and have long since been abandoned. Downing St Downing St External link Downing Street is the street in Westminster , London , which has been the official residence for 200 years of two of the most senior British Cabinet Ministers, the First Lord of the Treasury , an office held by the Prime Minister , and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer . The most famous address in Downing Street is 10 Downing Street , the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury - and thus, in modern times, the residence of the Prime Minister, since the two roles have been filled by the same person.

As a result of this "Downing Street" or "Number 10" is often used as short-hand for the Prime Ministers or their office, whilst "Number 11" is likewise a term for the Chancellors of the Exchequer or their office. Tony Blair and Dick Cheney at the door of 10 Downing Street. Downing Street is located in Whitehall in central London, a few minutes' walk from the Houses of Parliament and on the edge of Horse Guards Parade and St. James's Park . The street was built by and named after Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet ( 1632 - 1689 ). Downing was a soldier and diplomat who served under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II . In the service of the King he was rewarded with the plot of land adjoining St. James's Park upon which Downing Street now stands. The Prime Minister , the Chancellor of the Exchequer , and the Chief Whip all officially live in houses on one side of the street. According to the Downing Street official website, the last private resident in the street was a Mr Chicken, about whom very little is known except that he left Downing Street some time in the 1730s.

The houses on the other side were all replaced by the massive Foreign Office in the nineteenth century. In the 1950s and 1960s , plans were considered to demolish both the Foreign Office and the rest of Downing Street and build "something more modern". However the plans were never implemented and have long since been abandoned. Who lives where Throughout the history of the houses, ministers have lived by agreement in whatever rooms they thought appropriate. On some occasions Number 11 has been occupied not by the Chancellor of the Exchequer but by the individual considered to be the nominal deputy Prime Minister(whether or not they actually take the title)-this was particularly common in coalition governments. Sometimes a minister will only use their Downing Street flat for formal occasions and otherwise live elsewhere. During his period in office starting in 1881, William Gladstone claimed residence in numbers 10, 11 and 12 for himself and his family. This was reasonable since he was both Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister at the time.

After the 1997 General Election in which Labour took power, a swap was carried out by the present incumbents of the two titles, Tony Blair being a married man with three children still living at home, whilst his counterpart, Gordon Brown , was unmarried at the time of taking up his post. Although Number 10 continued to be the prime minister's official residence and contain the prime ministerial offices, Blair and his family moved into the more spacious Number 11, while Brown lived in the more meagre apartments of Number 10. Downing Street gates The gates at the entrance to Downing Street In 1989 , large black steel gates were erected at the entrance of Downing Street to protect the Prime Minister (then Margaret Thatcher ) from terrorist attack, particularly from the Provisional IRA . Before then it was possible for members of the public to walk through Downing Street and past Number 10, as a shortcut to St. James's Park . In 2003, work to strengthen the foundations of the gates was carried out. See also 9 Downing Street was named in 2001 and is the Downing Street entrance to the Privy Council Office and currently houses the Chief Whip 's office.

10 Downing Street is the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, and thus the residence of the British Prime Minister, as in modern times, the two roles have been filled by the same person. 11 Downing Street is the official residence of the Second Lord of the Treasury, and thus is the home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer . 12 Downing Street , formerly the Chief Whip's Office, currently houses the Prime Minister's Press Office, Strategic Communications Unit and Information and Research Unit. Downing Street - London, UK - Official Local Tourism Attractions on Waymarking.com you are not logged in. [log in] Downing Street - London, UK - Official Local Tourism Attractions on Waymarking.com Welcome to Waymarking.com! We hope you've been able to find what you are looking for. We would also like to encourage you to take some time to browse some of the other aspects of our site. We recommend viewing our featured waymarks , or perhaps the newest waymarks . You can also create a free membership to track your progress online and share your locations with others.

Click here to view the complete waymark directory N 51° 30.192 W 000° 07.584 30U E 699431 N 5709700 Quick Description: Downing Street is the street in Westminster, London, which has been the official residence for 200 years of two of the most senior British Cabinet Ministers, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Location: London, United Kingdom Date Posted: 6/2/2013 11:49:28 AM Waymark Code: WMH745 The Downing St website tells us: Downing Street is the street in Westminster, London, which has been the official residence for 200 years of two of the most senior British Cabinet Ministers, the First Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Prime Minister, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The most famous address in Downing Street is 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury - and thus, in modern times, the residence of the Prime Minister, since the two roles have been filled by the same person. As a result of this "Downing Street" or "Number 10" is often used as short-hand for the Prime Ministers or their office, whilst "Number 11" is likewise a term for the Chancellors of the Exchequer or their office. Downing Street is located in Whitehall in central London, a few minutes' walk from the Houses of Parliament and on the edge of Horse Guards Parade and St. James's Park. The street was built by and named after Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1632 - 1689). Downing was a soldier and diplomat who served under Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II. In the service of the King he was rewarded with the plot of land adjoining St. James's Park upon which Downing Street now stands. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Chief Whip all officially live in houses on one side of the street.

According to the Downing Street official website, the last private resident in the street was a Mr Chicken, about whom very little is known except that he left Downing Street some time in the 1730s. The houses on the other side were all replaced by the massive Foreign Office in the nineteenth century. In the 1950s and 1960s, plans were considered to demolish both the Foreign Office and the rest of Downing Street and build "something more modern". However the plans were never implemented and have long since been abandoned. Throughout the history of the houses, ministers have lived by agreement in whatever rooms they thought appropriate. On some occasions Number 11 has been occupied not by the Chancellor of the Exchequer but by the individual considered to be the nominal deputy Prime Minister(whether or not they actually take the title)-this was particularly common in coalition governments. Sometimes a minister will only use their Downing Street flat for formal occasions and otherwise live elsewhere. During his period in office starting in 1881, William Gladstone claimed residence in numbers 10, 11 and 12 for himself and his family.

This was reasonable since he was both Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister at the time. After the 1997 General Election in which Labour took power, a swap was carried out by the present incumbents of the two titles, Tony Blair being a married man with three children still living at home, whilst his counterpart, Gordon Brown, was unmarried at the time of taking up his post. Although Number 10 continued to be the prime minister's official residence and contain the prime ministerial offices, Blair and his family moved into the more spacious Number 11, while Brown lived in the more meagre apartments of Number 10. In 1989, large black steel gates were erected at the entrance of Downing Street to protect the Prime Minister (then Margaret Thatcher) from terrorist attack, particularly from the Provisional IRA. Before then it was possible for members of the public to walk through Downing Street and past Number 10, as a shortcut to St. James's Park. In 2003, work to strengthen the foundations of the gates was carried out.

The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link] The attraction’s own URL: [Web Link] Hours of Operation: Downing Street is no longer accessible to the public. However, crowds stand outside the gates at the Whitehall entrance hoping to see someone famous arriving or departing or to be photographed in front of the gates. The gates can be approached 24/7. Admission Prices: Sir George Downing (Pepys' Diary) Sir George Downing This text was copied from Wikipedia on 17 January 2017 at 3:23AM. Sir George Downing, Bt Member of Parliament for Morpeth In office Member of Parliament for Carlisle In office Member of Parliament for Edinburgh In office Scoutmaster-General of Commonwealth Forces in Scotland Battles/wars Third English Civil War Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1623 – 22 July 1684) was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman, diplomat, turncoat and spy, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts .

The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. Contents 6 References Early life He was the son of Emmanuel Downing, barrister , and of Lucy Winthrop, sister of Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop . He was born in Dublin , Ireland. While Downing Street, London, is named after him, Downing College, Cambridge derives its name from his grandson, Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet . The title became extinct when the 3rd Baronet's cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet , died in 1764. His family joined Winthrop in America in 1638, settling in Salem, Massachusetts . Downing attended Harvard College and was one of nine students in the first graduating class of 1642. He was hired by Harvard as the college's first tutor.

In 1645 he sailed for the West Indies with slaves in tow, as a preacher and instructor of the seamen, and arrived in England some time afterwards, becoming chaplain to Colonel John Okey 's regiment (who had originally sponsored Downing's education in America). Service under Cromwell Subsequently he seems to have abandoned preaching for a military career, and in 1650 he was scoutmaster-general of Cromwell 's forces in Scotland , and as such received in 1657 a salary of £365 and £500 as a Teller of the Exchequer . His marriage in 1654 with Frances, daughter of Sir William Howard of Naworth , and sister of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle , aided his advancement. In Cromwell's parliament of 1654 he represented Edinburgh , and Carlisle in those of 1656 and 1659. He was one of the first to urge Cromwell to take the royal title and restore the old constitution. In 1655 he was sent to France to remonstrate on the massacre of the Protestant Vaudois .

Later in 1657 he was appointed resident at The Hague , to effect a union of the Protestant European powers, to mediate between Portugal and the Dutch Republic and between Sweden and Denmark , to defend the interests of the English traders against the Dutch, and to inform the government concerning the movements of the exiled royalists . Restoration He showed himself in these negotiations an able diplomat. He was maintained in his post during the interregnum subsequent to the fall of Richard Cromwell , and was thus enabled in April 1660 to make his peace with Charles II , to whom he communicated Thurloe 's despatches, and declared his abandonment of "principles sucked in" in New England of which he now "saw the error". At the Restoration , therefore, Downing was knighted (May 1660), was continued in his embassy in Holland, was confirmed in his tellership of the exchequer, and was further rewarded with a valuable piece of land adjoining St. James's Park for building purposes, now known as Downing Street . During the Restoration period, he was instrumental organising the spy-rings which hunted down many of his former comrades.

He engineered the arrest in Holland of the regicides John Barkstead , Miles Corbet and John Okey , his former commander and sponsor. Samuel Pepys , who characterised his conduct as odious though useful to the king, calls him a "perfidious rogue" and remarks that "all the world took notice of him for a most ungrateful villain for his pains." On 1 July 1663 he was created a baronet . Downing had from the first been hostile to the Dutch as the commercial rivals of England. He had strongly supported the Navigation Act of 1660, and he now deliberately drew on the fatal and disastrous Second Anglo-Dutch War , in the first year of which, 1665, he was expelled by the Dutch because of his intrigues and spying activities and returned home. That year, as a member of parliament, Downing attached a clause to a bill to fund the war's continuation that specified that the money could only be used for the war effort.

[2] This previously little-used move, opposed strongly by Lord Clarendon as an encroachment on the royal prerogative, [3] effectively made permanent the parliamentary appropriation of supplies (meaning that Parliament gained the right to specify that tax revenues should be used only for a particular purpose, rather than spent as the King's government saw fit). [4] In May 1667, in the war's final year, Downing was made secretary to the commissioners of the treasury , his appointment being much welcomed by Pepys, and he took part in the management and reform of the Treasury. [2] He had been returned for Morpeth in the Convention Parliament of April 1660, a constituency that he represented in every ensuing parliament till his death, and he spoke with ability on financial and commercial questions. He was appointed a commissioner of the customs in 1671. The same year he was again sent to Holland to replace Sir William Temple , to break up the policy of the Triple Alliance and incite another war between the Dutch Republic and England in furtherance of the French policy. His unpopularity there was extreme, and after three months' residence Downing fled to England, in fear of the fury of the mob.

For this unauthorised step he was sent to the Tower on 7 February 1672, but released some few weeks afterwards. He defended the Declaration of Indulgence the same year, and made himself useful in supporting the court policy. Death and family He died in Cambridge on 22 July 1684, [1] after having acquired a substantial fortune, and was considered to be the largest landowner in Cambridgeshire (critics claimed he amassed the fortune partly through his exceptional meanness about money). He was succeeded in the title by his eldest son Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet . He had a younger son, Charles and four daughters: Mary, Philadelphia, who married Sir Henry Pickering, 2nd Baronet and had three daughters. Character Downing was undoubtedly a man of great political, diplomatic, and financial ability, but his character has often been maligned by his enemies because of his willingness to make the most of changing political circumstances, and to brutally betray former comrades in order to win favour from his current masters. [5] Today his reputation is undergoing a revision among scholars of the period as his contributions as a financial reformer and diplomat are again recognised.

On the other hand, one of his many less attractive personal qualities – miserliness – is well-documented. He published a large number of declarations and discourses, mostly in Dutch, enumerated in Sibley 's biography, and wrote also "A True Relation of the Progress of the Parliament's Forces in Scotland" (1651), Thomason Tracts , Brit. Mus., E 640 (5). References • Link Downing's idealistic youth: Downing's ties to the Puritans of the Commonwealth (both Cromwell's in England and the one in Massachusetts) ran deep. For the Puritans, this likely made the sting more acute when he broke with them and became such an ardent supporter of Charles II. Downing was the nephew of a famed New England Puritan, Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop (whose sister, Lucy, married Downing's father, Emanuel). At Winthrop's suggestion, the Downings moved to the colony in 1638. They settled in Salem. In 1642, Downing became the second graduate of the new Harvard College.

Winthrop wrote about Downing in his posthumously published "History of New England from 1630 to 1649" in this passage (2:240-3) which makes Downing (then a young preacher) look like one of the shock troops in the vanguard of the Puritan crusade: "The scarcity of good ministers in England, and want of employment for our new graduates [of Harvard College] here, occasioned some of them to look abroad. Three honest young men, good scholars, and very hopeful, viz. a younger son of Mr. Higginson, to England, and so to Holland, and after to the East Indies, a younger son of Mr. Buckley, a Batchelor of Arts to England, and Mr. George Downing, son of Mr. Emanuel Downing of Salem, Batchelor of Arts also, about twenty years of age, went in a ship to the West Indies to instruct the seamen. He went by Newfoundland and so to Christophers and Barbados and Nevis, and being requested to preach in all these places, he gave such content, as he had large offers to stay with them.

But he continued in the ship to England, and being a very able scholar, and of a ready wit and fluent utterance, he was soon taken notice of, and called to be a preacher in Sir Thomas Fairfax his army, to Colonel Okye his regiment." Despite his family connections and early history, Downing moved away from hardline Puritanism and republicanism by 1660. In fact, his enthusiasm for the rising star of Charles II left a distaste in the mouths of many observers, including Pepys, who could see the spectacular rewards Downing snagged from the flip. (Pepys, of course, also changed his colors -- but who likes to be reminded of that?) The quote from Winthrop's book I found at this website (where Downing's slight connection to Newfoundland history is discussed): ✹ • Link Pepys's Attitudes Toward Downing "What is certain is that Pepys's new boss was an ogre who commanded his clerk's hatred and admiration in equal measure, for George Downing showed Pepys how hard, how vain and how ruthless a successful man of affairs could be," writes Stephen Cootes in his "Samuel Pepys: A Life" (2000; p. 26).

"Downing . . . had his eye constantly on the main chance. . . . Downing was, none the less, a man of vision, and in his company Pepys became familiar with the profoundly influential idea that Britain should destroy the naval power of the Dutch and so break their monopoly on the carrying trade." Pepys's mentions of Downing in the diary are "almost always with some expression of dislike," Henry B. Wheatley says in "Samuel Pepys and the World He Lived In" (1880). Pepys thought Downing was niggardly, sometimes to ridiculous lengths, Wheatley wrote. "Pepys, who characterized his [Downing's] conduct as odious though useful to the king, calls him a 'perfidious rogue'" the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica notes, "and remarks that 'all the world took notice of him for a most ungrateful villain for his pains.'" (Diary: 12, 17 March 1662) "Downing saw that Pepys was talented," Claire Tomalin writes in "Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self" (2002; p.

56), "but Pepys, though always respectful of Downing's intellectual powers, never liked him." Years later, after the memory of working for Downing had worn a bit (and perhaps after Pepys gained a wider perspective), he praised Downing's good qualities, essentially describing him as an able public servant who would perform well in an appointment he had just been given: "[H]e is active and a man of business, and values himself upon having of things go well under his hand." (Diary: 27 May 1667) ✹ • Link George Downing went into the army, and was scoutmaster general of the English army in Scotland. He was afterwards in great favour with Cromwell, who sent him ambassador to the States, and upon the restoration he turned with the times, and was sent or kept by the King in the same employ, had the merit of betraying, securing and sending over several of the regicides (he had been captain under one of them, Col. Okey) was knighted and in favour at court, and died in 1684.

His character runs low with the best historians in England; it was much lower with his countrymen in New-England; and it became a proverbial expression, to say of a false man who betrayed his trust, that he was an arrant George Downing. Oliver Cromwell, when he sent him agent or ambassador to the States, in his letter of credence says, "George Downing is a person of eminent quality, and after a long trial of his fidelity, probity and diligence in several and various negotiations, well approved and valued by us. Him we have thought fitting to send to your Lordships, dignified with the character of our agent," &c. (Milton's letters.) In his latter days he is said to have been very friendly to New-England, and when the colony was upon the worst terms with King Charles the second. An article of news from England in 1671, says, "Sir George Downing is in the Tower, it is said because he returned from Holland, where he was sent ambassador, before his time: As it is reported, he had no small abuse offered him there. They printed the sermons he preached in Oliver's time and drew three pictures of him. 1.

Preaching in a tub, over it was wrote, This I was. 2. A treacherous courtier, over it, This I am. 3. Hanging on a gibbet, and over it, This I shall be." Prints of that sort were not so common in England in that day as they have been the last twenty years. "Downing was sent to make up the quarrel with the Dutch, but coming home in too great haste and fear, is now in the prison where his master lay that he betrayed." MS. letter Lond. March 4, 1671-2. By his master, no doubt Okey is intended. His son was one of the Tellers in the Exchequer in 1680. Sir George died in 1684. He was brother-in-law to governor Bradstreet, and kept up a correspondence with him. ---The History of the Colony of Massachuset's Bay. T. Hutchinson, 1765 (discussing the first graduates of Harvard College in 1642) ✹ • Link ANECDOTE OF THE DOWNING FANIILY.

THE late Sir George Downing, of Gamlingay in Cambridge, bart. had left his estate to the late Sir Jacob Garrard, and his heirs male; and for want of such issue, to the Rev. Mr. Peters, late lecturer of St. Clements Danes, and his heirs male; both of whom having died without issue, the estate was to be applied towards founding a college in Cambridge. The original of the family was Dr. Calybeat Downing, one of the preachers in the rebel army, and a great man with the Rump; and his son, afterwards Sir George Downing, and the first baronet of the family, was made envoy from Cromwell to the States-General, and got a great estate, owing to the following incident.

When King Charles the Second was travelling in disguise in Holland, to visit the queen mother, attended only by Lord Falkland, and putting up at an inn, after he had been there some time, the landlord came in to these strangers, and said there was a beggar man at the door, very shabbily dressed, who was very importunate to be admitted to them; on which the king seemed to be surprized, and after speaking to Lord Falkland, bid the landlord admit him. As soon as this beggar-man entered, he pulled off his beard, (which he had put on for a disguise) fell on his knees, and said he was Mr. Downing, the resident from Oliver Cromwell; that he had received advice of this intended visit from his majesty to the queen, and that if he ventured any farther, he would. assassinated; and begged secrecy of the king, for that his life depended upon it, and departed. The king was amazed at this, and said to Lord Falkland, how could this be known; there were but you and the queen knew of it; therefore the queen must have mentioned this to somebody, who gave advice of it to his enemies.

However, the king returned back, whereby the design was prevented. Upon this, after the restoration, Mr. George Downing was rewarded, made a baronet, and farmer of the customs, &c. &c. whereby this large estate was raised. ---A Collection of Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments. Joseph Addison, 1793 ✹ • Link When Downing employed Pepys as a clerk in the Exchequer, it was as a favour to Pepys' patron Montagu, later Lord Sandwich. It may have also have pleased Pepys' father's cousin Sir Richard (d 1659), who had been Baron of the Exchequer, and was Chief Justice in Ireland where Downing had many interests. Many people changed sides during the Civil Wars and aftermath, for a variety of reasons, and were usually not regarded as contemptible turncoats. But Col John Oakey, one of those Downing had apprehended, had been Downing's patron and sponsor. Indeed, Downing had been chaplain to Oakey's regiment.

Downing's extraordinarily zealous delivery of Oakey to suffer the "vile death of traitors" might well have been seen generally as a betrayal too far even in those callous times. ✹ • Link DOWNING, Sir GEORGE, first baronet (1623?-1684), soldier and politician; second graduate of Harvard College; scout-master-general of Cromwell's army in Scotland, 1650; M.P.

for Edinburgh, 1654, for Carlisle and Haddington boroughs, 1656; headed movement for offering crown to Cromwell; sent to remonstrate with Louis XIV on Vaudois massacre, 1655; resident at the Hague, 1657, 1659, and 1660; teller of the exchequer, 1660; procured the arrest of three regicides, Barkstead, Okey, and Corbet, at Delft, 1662; created baronet, 1663; began the custom of the appropriation of supplies during the Dutch war, which he promoted, 1665; M.P., Morpeth, 1669-70; resident at the Hague, 1671; compelled by his unpopularity to leave the Hague, 1672. Colbert called him 'le plus grand querelleur des diplomates de son temps.' ---Dictionary of National Biography: Index and Epitome. S. Lee, 1906.

✹ About: Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet About: Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet An Entity of Type : office holder , from Named Graph : , within Data Space : dbpedia.org Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1623 – 22 July 1684) was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman, diplomat, turncoat and spy, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts. The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. Property abstract Figlio di Emmanuel Downing, avvocato, e Lucy Winthorp, sorella del Governatore del Massachusetts John Winthorp.

Downing Street prende il nome da lui, mentre il Downing College di Cambridge è intitolato in onore di suo nipote Sir George Downing, 3° Baronetto. Il titolo si estinse nel 1764 con la morte di Sir Jacob Downing, 4° Baronetto. (it) George Downing (* ca. 1623; † Juli 1684) war ein englischer Soldat, Politiker und Diplomat. (de) George Downing, né en 1623 à Dublin et mort en juillet 1684 est un homme politique et diplomate anglais. Il a donné son nom à Downing Street, rue de Londres où se situe la résidence du premier ministre britannique. (fr) George Downing (1623-1684) was de zoon van Emmanuel Downing en Lucy Winthrop. Zijn ouders en hij staken vanuit Londen over naar de Amerikaanse kolonie in 1638 omdat de puriteinen vervolgd werden.Hij was de tweede student die afstudeerde van de Harvard-universiteit.

Tijdens de Engelse Burgeroorlog kwam hij terug als "chaplain" van het regiment van een Colonel Okey. In 1657 werd hij door Olivier Cromwell als ambassadeur naar Nederland gestuurd. Tijdens de Restauratie van Karel II wist hij naadloos over te schakelen naar de royalistische zijde. Hij werd geadeld en in 1663 opnieuw als ambassadeur naar Den Haag gestuurd. Zijn fanatisme - nu voor de andere zijde - ging zo ver dat hij vier vroegere parlementsleden die gestemd hadden voor de executie van Karel I in Delft liet ontvoeren zodat ze in Londen berecht konden worden. Een van de vier was zijn oude bevelhebber, Colonel Okey. Allen werden gevierendeeld na op gruwelijke wijze te zijn geëxecuteerd. Downing Street is naar hem genoemd: hij bezat ooit de grond waarop de straat ligt.

Zijn intriges hadden veel te maken met het uitbreken van de Tweede Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog. Downing had een enorme hekel aan de Nederlanders. Hij zette een spionagenetwerk op ter wille van de Engelse marine en kocht zo veel mogelijk regenten om teneinde de Britse belangen te dienen. In de meeste orangistische complotten van die tijd gericht tegen het bewind van Johan de Witt had hij de hand. Zijn rapporten over de politieke verdeeldheid in de Nederlanden hadden een grote invloed op Karel II van Engeland bij diens besluit toe te geven aan de plannen in 1664 van zijn broer, de latere Jacobus II van Engeland, en Lord Arlington om de Republiek aan te vallen. Eind 1665 werd Downing uit Nederland verwijderd door de autoriteiten.

Hierna werd Downing schatkistbewaarder gemaakt; eind 1671 keerde hij nog even naar Nederland terug als gezant om bestraffing te eisen van Luitenant-Admiraal Willem Joseph van Ghent vanwege het vlagincident met de Merlin. Begin 1672 moest Downing Den Haag weer ontvluchten omdat hij bang was door de bevolking gelyncht te worden. (nl) Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1623 – 22 July 1684) was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman, diplomat, turncoat and spy, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts. The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York.

(en) 喬治·唐寧爵士，第一代從男爵（Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet，1623年 – 1684年7月），是盎格魯-愛爾蘭士兵，政治家和外交家，英國倫敦的唐寧街即以他的名字來命名。他作為財政部長，實行重大公共財政改革。他對於重商主義行為影響重大，此法案加強了英國商業和海軍力量。 (zh) George Downing (* ca. 1623; † Juli 1684) war ein englischer Soldat, Politiker und Diplomat. (de) George Downing, né en 1623 à Dublin et mort en juillet 1684 est un homme politique et diplomate anglais. Il a donné son nom à Downing Street, rue de Londres où se situe la résidence du premier ministre britannique.

(fr) Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet (1623 – 22 July 1684) was an Anglo-Irish preacher, soldier, statesman, diplomat, turncoat and spy, after whom Downing Street in London is named. As Treasury Secretary he is credited with instituting major reforms in public finance. His influence was substantial on the passage and substance of the mercantilist Navigation Acts. The Acts strengthened English commercial and Naval power, contributing to the security of the English state and its ability to project its power abroad. More than any other man he was responsible for arranging the acquisition of New York from the Dutch, and is remembered there in the name of Downing Street, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York.

(en) 喬治·唐寧爵士，第一代從男爵（Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet，1623年 – 1684年7月），是盎格魯-愛爾蘭士兵，政治家和外交家，英國倫敦的唐寧街即以他的名字來命名。他作為財政部長，實行重大公共財政改革。他對於重商主義行為影響重大，此法案加強了英國商業和海軍力量。 (zh) George Downing (1623-1684) was de zoon van Emmanuel Downing en Lucy Winthrop. Zijn ouders en hij staken vanuit Londen over naar de Amerikaanse kolonie in 1638 omdat de puriteinen vervolgd werden.Hij was de tweede student die afstudeerde van de Harvard-universiteit. Tijdens de Engelse Burgeroorlog kwam hij terug als "chaplain" van het regiment van een Colonel Okey.Downing Street is naar hem genoemd: hij bezat ooit de grond waarop de straat ligt.

(nl) Downing Street Playground Highlights : NYC Parks Downing Street Playground Downing Playground This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park. This West Village Playground, located on Downing Street and Avenue of the Americas, is named for the street that runs to its south. Downing Street was laid out in 1799 and named no later than 1803, when it first appeared on a New York City map. The origin of its name is unclear. Some credit it to Thomas Downing (1791-1866), an African American freeman who moved to New York from Virginia in 1819 and made a career selling oysters. Located at 5 Broad Street, Downing’s Oyster House was popular with leading politicians, businessmen, and celebrities. Intriguing as this association is, however, it appears to be no more than a coincidence, for Thomas Downing arrived in New York City about twenty years after the street was named. The Downing referred to in the street name is more likely Sir George Downing (ca. 1623-1684), a distinguished diplomat who was also the namesake of London’s Downing Street.

An English native, Sir George was one of the nine graduates at Harvard College’s first commencement in 1642. After Downing played a dramatic role during the English Civil War, King Charles II knighted him Sir George and appointed him to The Hague as an ambassador. Sir George may have been influential in the negotiations between Britain and the Netherlands that gave New Orange (now New York) to the British in exchange for Surinam in 1674. Legend has it that this land was once the property of Aaron Burr (1756-1836), third Vice President of the United States, and the man who killed Alexander Hamilton in an 1804 duel. The city acquired the original 0.173-acre parcel of land between Downing and Carmine Streets by condemnation in 1896 for use as a school playground. The site was assigned to Parks in 1924 and developed as a children’s playground with slides, seesaws, flagpole and portable shower in the mid-1930s.

A series of renovations from 1982 to 1987 provided new timberform play equipment, a sprinkler shower, swings, a sandbox and tire swings, as well as the new gate surrounding the playground. London planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia), a species known for its ability to thrive in harsh urban environments, line the playground and provide welcome shade. Park Information

Question: What is the first name of the diplomat after whom Downing Street is named?
Answer: (Sir) George